Pocan, Biggs Introduce Audit the Pentagon Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02), co-founder and co-chair of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, and U.S. Representative Andy Biggs (AZ-05) introduced the Audit the Pentagon Act, which aims to increase transparency and accountability in the defense budget.

As of December 2025, the Pentagon has failed its 8th consecutive audit. According to a recent GAO report, the Department of Defense (DOD) continues to be unable to account for billions of dollars’ worth of assets.

“For a department that gets more than $1 trillion a year, it’s essential that they be able to pass a financial audit,” said Congressman Pocan. “After eight consecutive failed audits, the Defense Department remains the only federal agency to have never passed an audit. The Audit the Pentagon Act will create a powerful incentive for the Department to get its fiscal house in order, or otherwise face funding reductions. The Pentagon has a history of little accountability while pouring billions into weapons systems that just don’t work properly, and it’s past time they be held accountable for this irresponsible stewardship of taxpayer funds.”

“For years, the Pentagon has failed audit after audit while Congress continues to write blank checks. That’s unacceptable,” said Congressman Biggs. “The American people demand accountability for every taxpayer dollar—especially when we’re spending more than $1 trillion on our defense annually, and we’re facing a $38 trillion national debt. The Audit the Pentagon Act imposes tangible consequences for bureaucratic failure. A strong national defense demands both readiness and fiscal responsibility. The era of endless excuses must end.”

This bipartisan legislation would provide the basis for critical fiscal reforms within the Department of Defense by imposing consequences on agencies and elements that fail audits. Specifically, it would administer a 0.5% cut to the budget of any office at the Pentagon that does not achieve an unqualified opinion on its full financial statements for the first year of the bill’s enactment, then rises to a 1.0% cut for subsequent years. The bill exempts funding for personnel, families, and military healthcare from these automatic cuts. It would also reassure the public that Congress is working to ensure that the Pentagon is held to the same standard as all other federal agencies that are required by law to pass an independent external audit each year.

Text of the bill can be found here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.